


The Urusov Gambit

by Ria_Grey



Series: What's Next? [3]
Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: M/M, On-Again/Off-Again Relationship, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:54:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25553134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ria_Grey/pseuds/Ria_Grey
Summary: After years of waiting for Charles to come to him, Erik decides to go to Charles instead.
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier
Series: What's Next? [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1842571
Comments: 4
Kudos: 35





	The Urusov Gambit

**Author's Note:**

> The title is a chess metaphor.

Erik leaned back in a leather chair that sat in the office overlooking the garden. It was familiar, unchanged over the years, and he turned his head as the doors opened and in came Charles.

Charles, having just finished teaching a class, hadn’t expected any visitors, so he froze in surprise when he noticed Erik sitting in his office. “Erik,” he blinked, almost not believing the man was sitting before him, “y-you’re here, you’re home.”

“I don’t know about home,” Erik said softly, turning his head away from Charles to stare out at the garden again, “but I don’t see why I can’t pay an old friend a visit.”

Charles came about the room and stopped in front of Erik, looking him over, trying to take in everything about the man, the friend he had missed so dearly. “Please stay,” he said, “the team--”

“The team, the team,” Erik muttered, trying to hide the exasperation that threatened to creep into his voice, “would you shut up about the team already? I already told you I’m just visiting.”

“Then why are you here?” Charles eyed him incredulously.

Erik grinned lightly and reached into his bag and pulled out a chess set. “How about a game?” his grin widened, “for old time’s sake.”

Charles watched him for a moment, searching his eyes for intent. He couldn’t find it. Erik was being just as enigmatic and unpredictable as ever. If he were anyone else Charles could find out his intentions so easily.

He just sighed and motioned to a small nearby table so Erik leaned forward and quickly set up the board.

“White to start,” Erik said.

Charles nodded and glanced at the board, moving his first piece, quickly followed by Erik moving one of his own. The two traded moves for a while before Charles finally returned his gaze to Erik. “Why are you really here?” he asked quietly.

“I told you why,” Erik said as he moved a piece across the board.

“I find it hard to believe you’ve come back after all these years for a visit and a game of chess.” Charles shook his head as he moved his next piece.

“You could find out very easily why,” Erik goaded, moving his next piece. He watched Charles out of the corner of his eye and grinned as the other man shifted a little uncomfortably.

“You know I’d never…” Charles’ voice trailed off as he turned his head away. “Just please,” he said, a certain longing filling his voice, “please tell me.”

“Because you’ve fallen right into my trap.”

Charles blinked a little in confusion as Erik merely nodded to the chess board. “Mate in three, unless I’m mistaken.”

Charles studied the board a while before he sighed and turned to Erik with a coy smile. “It seems you’ve bested me once again.”

“Was that ever in doubt?”

The two watched each other quietly until Charles turned away and moved closer to his desk. He grabbed a bottle off his desk and poured a small amount of the amber liquid into a small glass and quickly drank it down. “Why can’t you just give me a straight answer?”

“Because I shouldn’t have to,” Erik said, the exasperation returning to his voice, “you don’t need to be a mind reader to know what I want so at this point I have to assume you’re either totally oblivious or in denial about what you want. And I think you’re far too smart to be oblivious.”

Charles sat quietly for a while, his head spinning with the conversation that he knew he was one day going to have, yet was still totally unprepared for. “If that’s really what you want,” he spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully, “why won’t you stay?”

“Because you haven’t told me why you want me to stay.”

“I’ve told you,” Charles said, almost whining, “the team needs you, the school needs you.”

“That’s not what you want, though!” Erik roared. He got to his feet and stood over Charles, his brow furrowed with his rising anger. “That’s what ‘Professor X’ wants, I want to know what you, Charles, want. Why you want me to stay.”

Charles brought his gaze to meet Erik’s. He wanted to scream at the man. Leap out of his chair and clock him in the jaw and scream for hours about how he felt, but he couldn’t. Something was still holding him back.

“The team--”

“I’m sick of hearing about the team!” Erik grabbed Charles by the shoulders and slammed him against the wall, holding him up off the ground. Even with how vulnerable he now was feeling he held Erik’s gaze as the rage started building in him as well. “Tell me what you want, Charles!

“I can’t…”

“Charles!”

“No!”

“Tell me!”

“Because I love you, damn it!”

Erik brought his lips straight to Charles’ own and kissed him, pushing into it with all the passion and desire he had been holding in for the man for so many years. The two felt the warmth of each other’s bodies and they shared the kiss for several moments before Erik pulled away and looked into Charles’ eyes.

Charles felt a deep blush in his cheeks as he stared back into Erik’s eyes. He felt an urge overcome him and he wound back and punched Erik in the jaw as hard as he could. Erik stumbled back a little, holding his jaw, and watched in horror as Charles crumpled down to the floor.

“Charles, I…”

“I do love you Erik,” Charles said as he straightened himself out on the floor and leaned back against the wall, “but then you do stuff like barge into my office and slam me up against the wall.”

Erik watched him quietly and lowered his gaze a little.

“I want you to stay because I love you,” Charles continued, “but I still have no idea whether I want to be with you again.”

“If I stay, will we be able to see where things go?” Erik asked.

“Just don’t expect it to happen.”

Erik looked away in thought again before he sighed and nodded lightly. “I get it now,” he said softly as he slowly turned back to Charles, “I’ll stay, then. For the team.”

Charles just looked away and folded his arms across his chest.

“Can I help you back to your chair?”

“I think you’ve done enough today, Erik,” Charles sighed, “but if you could do me one thing on your way out.”

“What is it?”

“Would you hand me the bottle from my desk please?”

Erik glanced at the desk and grabbed the bottle and passed it to Charles, who nodded and pulled the lid off. Erik frowned lightly at him and left the room, pulling the door closed after himself and leaving Charles sitting on the floor, drinking from his bottle of liquor and glancing occasionally at the chess board that still sat on the table not too far away.


End file.
